Preparing for Retirement - Pet Partners · 2019-10-02 · Preparing for Retirement ... Firocoxib...
Transcript of Preparing for Retirement - Pet Partners · 2019-10-02 · Preparing for Retirement ... Firocoxib...
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Preparing for Retirement
Signs to Look for in Senior Therapy Animals
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• Founded Gentle Goodbye Veterinary Hospice in 2011 in Stamford, CT
• Mobile practice focused on end of life care
• Certified Veterinarian, Animal Hospice and Palliative Care by the IAAHPC* in 2017
Mary Craig, DVM, MBA, CHPV
About Me
* International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care
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• Understand Quality of Life indicators so you can read and respond to what he/she is telling you
• Learn to Recognize and Treat Chronic Pain and Discomfort in older animals
• Ideas to keep a retiree engaged and joyful
How to "listen" to our therapy animals as they start to wind down their careers.
Objectives Of This Session
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My First and My Latest
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2002-2019
In Memory of Pixel
God invented cats so
that man could pet a
tiger. ~ Ferdinand Mery,
French Author
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• Factors that affect the “real age” of animals
• Biology of species
• Size/breed (esp dogs)
• Overall health
• Weight
• Dog Years: 1 year ≠ 7 years
How old is old?
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Age in human years
Age of dog Small breed Medium breed Large breed
1 15 15 152 24 24 243 28 28 284 32 32 325 36 36 366 40 42 457 44 47 508 48 51 559 52 56 61
10 56 60 6611 60 65 7212 64 69 7713 68 74 8214 72 78 8815 76 83 93
Cats sort of fit in the “small breed” category
Translating Dog Years into Human Years
Senior Pets
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“Slowing down” usually has a medical cause!
• Arthritis
• Especially old injuries
• Hip, knee, shoulder, spine
• Reduced hearing
• Reduced vision
• Cloudy or "bluish" eyes - normal effect of aging, lenticular sclerosis
• Weight gain – worsens arthritis
• Muscle atrophy – worsens arthritis
• Dementia is common in dogs!
Age is not a disease!
Things To Expect As An Animal Ages
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1. Thoughts of health insurance don’t keep them up at night
2. Animals don’t worry about running out of kibble in their old age
3. No one panics about your therapy animal hanging around the house all day
4. Therapy animals LOVE their job!
Four ways it’s different from HUMAN retirement:
Retirement For Therapy Animals
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• What takes the fun out of visits for your therapy animal?
• Pain or discomfort
• Fear or anxiety
• Dementia
• Increase feeling of vulnerability!
You Are Your Animal’s Best Advocate
YAYABA
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• Mobility
• Interaction/Attitude
• Sleeping/resting
• Nutrition
• Breathing
• Elimination
• Favorite Things
• Visit: Not engaging in usual way, tiring easily, other body language*
Indicators for changing *something*
Quality of Life Indicators
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• Changing type of visits
• Frequency of visits
• Look for medical causes, treat appropriately
Needed reaction to an indicator
Quality of Life Indicators
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• Acute vs Chronic
• AKA Adaptive vs Maladaptive pain
• Adaptive
• Protects the body from injury, promotes healing by inhibiting activity
• Crushed foot, muscle strain, ACL tear
• Maladaptive pain
• Unhelpful pain
• Tends to be out of all proportion to actual tissue damage
• Persists long after the tissues have healed
• The pain becomes the problem, rather than the tissues from which the pain comes
Pain Comes in (at least) Two Flavors
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The pain becomes the problem
Chronic or Maladaptive Pain
Steven M Fox, DVM, PhD
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• Lameness or stiff gait
• Abnormal posture
• Inability to settle, rest
• Difficulty sleeping
• Avoiding stairs/jumping
• Muscle atrophy
• Body tensing
• Difficulty getting up or lying down
• Reclusive behavior
• Poor grooming habits
• Licking a joint or sore spot
• Decreased appetite
• Depression or lethargy
• Pacing
• Tucked tail
• Shaking, trembling
He/She will tell you, If you are listening
Chronic Pain is Subtle
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• “He’s not in pain”
• What non-painful disease process that wouldkeep a human from going up the stairs?
• Long nails, stiff joints, poor eyesight, poor hearing= less movement
• Ramps
• Yoga mats
• Traction supports
Think about it from a human perspective
Mobility
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• Dogs
• Dasequin – nutraceutical, helps support cartilage matrix production and protect against cartilage breakdown
• Adequan(polysulfated glycosaminoglycan), FDA-approved injectable, disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) that inhibits cartilage loss in the dog’s joint,
• NSAIDs – Carprofen (Novox or Rimadyl), Deracoxib (Deramaxx), Firocoxib (Previcox), Meloxicam (Metacam) Galiprant (grapiprant)
• Gabapentin – nerve pain, often a component of arthritis
• Others
• Other species
• Talk to your veterinarian
Often a multimodal approach is required
Early Treatment for Arthritis
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• Sleep-wake cycle disturbances
• Generalized anxiety
• Lower threshold for aggression
• Decreased activity levels
• Inappropriate vocalization (howling, barking or whining)
• Repetitive behaviors (pacing)
• Elimination disorders
• Staring at walls
• Fewer social interactions
• Disorientation (getting “lost” in the house)
Getting “stuck” in corners
Dementia
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1. Recognize Symptoms Early - be on the lookout for mild versions of the symptoms listed above.
2. Pay Attention to Changes in Hearing and Vision
3. Stick to a Strict Schedule
4. Manage Anxiety - know what works best for their individual dog, such as soothing music, aromatherapy or a long walk.
• Crate training can help
• Medication
5. Talk to Your Vet About Dementia-Specific Drugs
6. Look Into a Veterinary Behaviorist
Dementia
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• Regular checkups & communication with your vet
• Comfortable clean bed - "orthopedic"
• Fresh water daily
• Healthy, age-appropriate diet
• Don't expect too much from your senior
• Ease distractions
• Easily startled, may become fearful
• Arthritis can make the dog fearful of getting hurt
Comfort Care
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• Growing Field
• Hospice and Palliative Care Certification for:
• Veterinarians
• Veterinary Technicians
• Certificate program for Hospice and Palliative Care for Social Workers
• Focus is on addressing the needs of animals and caregivers
• Physical
• Physiological
• Emotional
Comfort Care
The Field of Palliative Care
www.iaahpc.org
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• The usual triggers
• Look for ways to feed the need
• Engage!
• What Have You Found to be Successful?
It will be an adjustment for both of you
What Might Retirement Look like?
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Short
Chronic
Steady
Sudden
Likely courses of illness